


The Girl on the Painting

by incognitostarkbaratheon



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire & Related Fandoms, A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Modern with Magic, Blood Magic, Curse Breaking, Curses, Dark Magic, F/M, Happy Ending, Magic, Mention of blood, Minor Injuries, Minor Original Character(s), Witch Curses
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-21
Updated: 2020-03-30
Packaged: 2021-02-28 06:42:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 17,168
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22999387
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/incognitostarkbaratheon/pseuds/incognitostarkbaratheon
Summary: Arya has been trapped inside a painting for so many years her heart has lost hope. But when Gendry feels a connection with the painting and buys it to take it to his flat, he inadvertently ignites an old magical process that could save Arya and change his life forever. He just needs to find the pieces of the puzzle on time.
Relationships: Arya Stark/Gendry Waters
Comments: 82
Kudos: 132





	1. The Finding

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The first scene takes place in a canon divergent universe where Jon Arryn survives a few more years, altering and delaying the conflicts in the south and allowing the Starks to stay in the north.
> 
> Also, after the first scene, I imagined the sound of Arya's voice like behind a layer of water or force field. It is still audible but not as clear as hearing it face to face. Also, her segments are in cursive to make more evident her situation.
> 
> Finally, this work was inspired by [this gif set](https://heyitsjessn.tumblr.com/post/188014018524) by [heyitsjessn](https://heyitsjessn.tumblr.com/) I saw back in September so it took me a while to write it. Thank you for the inspiration!

Arya ran through the woods as fast as she could, she had to find somewhere to hide and she needed to do it now. Trusting her feelings to a stranger had been a huge mistake and now she didn’t know what he would do if he found her. Maybe if she managed to get to the rocks she would be able to sneak in between the cracks.

She was about to reach the point she was looking for when the cloud of smoke materialised right in front of her. “Trying to escape, I see.”

Arya stopped so suddenly, she had to step back to maintain her balance. “You tricked me.”

“I did not; I only granted you your wish.” The thing that looked like a man mocked her, showing a line of rotten teeth he had concealed up until that point.

“That’s not what I wanted, I did not wish for any deaths.” Arya’s eyes were full of fury and her words came out with a bitter tone.

“Ah, insignificant details. I fulfilled my part of the bargain and now you have to pay the price.”

“There was no bargain, I didn’t agree to anything!” Arya yelled with an angered voice.

“Yes you did, the moment you spoke your wish out loud. Now I want my payment, either from you or from some other Stark. Unless you prefer to exchange your place with the bastard, your choice.”

She forced herself to stop, Arya knew trying to keep fighting or escaping would only make things worse and she wasn’t willing to risk her family even more. She would have to face the consequences of the most stupid mistake she had made in her entire life.

Arya was terrified but she raised her chin and looked straight to those horrible yellow eyes, determined to die with dignity and integrity, that’s what her father would have wanted.

“Alright then, I’m ready.” She even managed to sound calmed.

An amber glow blurred her vision, making her eyes tear. The earth began to shake and after a few seconds, a shockwave made her fall to the ground. Then everything went dark, Arya was gone.

**6 Centuries Later…**

Gendry arrived to the car park where the flea market was held hoping to find a good book. He was always on the hunt for those big books full of pictures of old buildings and rooms; they were a constant source of inspiration and a delight to look at.

He looked around for a few minutes, amazed at the variety of things you could find in a place like this. Near the middle of the first row of used merchandise, Gendry found a box with books and stopped to investigate.

When he was half way through the box, something leaning on the leg of a table on the next stall caught his eye. Gendry left the book he was examining back in the box and gave the two steps separating him from the object.

Gendry knelt to get a better view of an old looking painting. The image of a young woman sitting on the ground captivated him at once. She was in the middle of a snowy forest during late afternoon or early night, with a formation of rocks to her left and what looked like a castle in the background.

A cloak covered most of her body but a bit of light grey fabric was visible through the opening in the middle. Her expression was unlike anything Gendry had seen, a mixture of sadness, resignation, determination and defiance. Her steel grey eyes felt so alive, Gendry couldn’t move his gaze from them until the owner called his attention.

“Do you like it? It belonged to my grandma. I remember it hanging on her wall when I was a kid.”

The man was still young, but old enough to have a small child playing in a baby carrier with a dinosaur toy. “Do you know who she is by any chance?” Gendry pointed to the painting with his head.

“Wow, no. I don’t even know where grandma got it. It’s been in a storage room since she died a few years ago.”

“I see.”

The man got distracted by a woman asking about a porcelain cat and while they were discussing the price, Gendry decided he couldn’t leave the painting there. He had no clue of why but he needed to take it with him.

He paid for the painting, not even bargaining, and headed home forgetting about the books he came looking for.

-/-/-

Gendry evaluated his living room with the painting on his hands. After a minute, he took down the clock he barely used and replaced it with the painting. It didn’t have a frame but the nail on the wall was strong enough to support it and give it balance.

He stepped back to see the change. The painting had the window to its right and the TV to its left. It was not the most symmetric position but it felt right so Gendry was satisfied.

-/-/-

Gendry lived on a fourth floor and the view from his window was one of his favourite things in the flat. He knew it wasn’t the best view of the city, that honour belonged to the Baratheon Industries Tower, but he liked how the sunset showered the outline of the buildings with oranges and yellows every afternoon.

A few days after going to the flea market, Gendry arrived from work just in time to see today’s show and as he approached the window, his attention wandered on the direction of the painting. The fading light made her look like she was about to move and Gendry lost himself on her eyes.

In the past days, he had found himself fighting the impulse of daydreaming about this mysterious woman. Who she was, why she looked so sad, Gendry could think of at least a dozen things he would like to know about her at any given time.

He raised his hand to trace the side of her face but when he touched the canvas; his fingers received an electrostatic discharge. “Auch!” Gendry exclaimed while retrieving his hand. He sighed, “Now I can’t even touch you, eh?” A sad smirk appeared on his face as he turned around to go eat something without looking back. That night the dreams started.

-/-/-

A chill ran through his whole body as he stepped into cold stone. It was dark except for a dim light coming from somewhere in front of him. Gendry carefully moved his foot on the direction of the light while holding a hand up to protect himself. He managed to give two steps before his hand touched a wall, also made of stone and as cold as the ground. Then a curtain of complete darkness fell and everything disappeared.

-/-/-

Gendry woke up confused, that dream had felt so real it was scary. Even his feet felt cold and the sensation of touching stone was still on his hand. He took a few deep breaths to calm down, trying to shake the experience out of his head. It took him a while, but he finally managed to fall asleep again, this time without dreams.

-/-/-

The following night Gendry found himself in the same place, only this time he managed to give another two steps with his hand guiding him along the stone wall before the darkness came again.

When he opened his eyes, Gendry felt curious instead of confused. He was pretty sure he was inside of a cave and the light was coming from the entrance, but there was no way of knowing when or if he would make it there. He guessed that would depend of how much time the dreams would give him before waking up. In any case, he was willing to find out.

After that night, Gendry started wearing socks, boxers and a t-shirt to bed to not be so cold in the cave.

-/-/-

“There you go.” Gendry gave her his copy of ‘Dornish Art and Architecture.’

“Thank you, you are a hero! There’s not a single copy left at school and I need to complete this damn assignment.” Shireen took the book and shook it while she talked.

“Glad to be at your service, little cousin.”

“Oh, shut up.” She turned to signal the painting. “So, are you redecorating? Not exactly your style.”

“Hahaha.” Gendry joked. “I don’t know, I just liked it.”

Shireen approached the painting to examine it more closely. “You liked the painting or the girl? I mean, she is quite pretty but it is not what I had in mind when I told you to get a girlfriend.”

“Very funny.”

“Where did you get her?”

“Flea market.”

“So no clue who she is.”

“No, the owner said it belonged to his grandma, that’s all he remembers.”

“That’s a shame. There’s snow all over it, maybe she was a northerner.” Shireen took her phone out and opened the camera. “Do you mind?”

“Nop.”

Shireen took the picture and after checking it was not blurry she put the phone on her bag along with Gendry’s book. “Well, duty calls. I’ll bring back your book as soon as I’m done.”

“Sure, no hurry.”

Once Shireen left, Gendry went back to the painting for one more minute. “I do wonder who you were.” The sound of his own voice surprised him and he smiled, feeling silly. He went on with his evening after that, more aware of her presence in the room.

-/-/-

As the nights passed, his time span had increased little by little, allowing him to see that the light was, in fact, the entrance of the cave and in the other side there were trees, snowy trees.

Seeing the snow made Gendry wonder if Shireen’s remark had influenced his dream. He hoped not, he didn’t think so. Gendry felt like whatever he was experiencing was real but again; he had no way of knowing.

Another thing that felt real was the connection he was developing with the girl on the painting. Somewhere along the way Gendry had started calling her that on his head as the habit of talking to her had become a normal occurrence.

At first it had been just a ‘good night’ or a ‘good morning,’ but by the time he saw the snowy trees while he slept, Gendry was telling the girl about his day in a regular basis while he was awake. He even asked questions despite knowing he would not get answers.

A part of him knew it was ridiculous and he was aware it would be best to keep those activities to himself; but every evening after work, while Gendry was alone in his flat, speaking with her felt like the most natural thing in the whole world.

-/-/-

_Arya watched Gendry walking to his room, yawning and ready to get some sleep. She smiled until she lost sight of him around the corner._

_She was so glad when Gendry found her at the market. That was her third time there and before that, Arya had been alone in a dark room for a while. By far not the longest she had been in that situation, but it was still years, lost._

_Now she got to be in a nice place, with light and a window close enough for her to see and hear some of the things outside._

_Gendry was also a huge difference. He was handsome, Arya had to admit that, and maybe a bit more despite her best efforts to ignore what she was feeling. He was also kind and he talked to her as if she was out there with him. That was the first time someone treated her like that._

_Arya enjoyed every second of his company, even if she knew he couldn’t hear her answering all of his questions and reacting to his stories._

_She didn’t wish anymore, she learnt the price of a wish in the worst way a long time ago. But for the first time since she was trapped in this prison, she dared to hope, hope for this to last for as long as possible, hope she didn’t have to go back to a dark room or away from Gendry in a long time._

_However, no matter how wonderful the past weeks had been, Arya was painfully aware she had to be careful to not lose her perspective of things. She knew at some point, Gendry would find someone to love in the real world and she would lose his attention. Even if he decided to keep her, he would eventually grow old and die, but she would still be there, permanently confined inside a painting. Arya reminded herself about that every night to keep at least some kind of protection around her heart._

-/-/-

A week after Shireen’s last visit, she appeared unannounced at Gendry’s door.

“Oh good, you’re home.” Shireen walked in without any other greeting. “I have to run, but I wanted to return your book and give you this.” She gave Gendry his book and a couple of pages with what looked like photocopies.

“What is this?”

“I might have found something about your girl.” Shireen winked.

“Did you?” Gendry was sceptical.

“Maybe it’s nothing, but the picture in there looks a lot like the castle in the background of your painting. Even if it is not her, it’s an interesting story.”

“OK, thank you.” Gendry didn’t know what else to say.

“You are welcome.” She said proudly. “Anyway, see you later.” With that Shireen left, leaving Gendry a bit disoriented.

Gendry sat on the sofa to look at the papers. The first page was a copy of the book cover. ‘Myths and Legends of Westeros.’ Gendry knew the painting wasn’t new but he wasn’t expecting anything qualifying as legend neither.

The title of the next photocopy was ‘A Northern Mystery,’ followed by three paragraphs and at the bottom, the image of a castle with a short caption beneath it. ‘Winterfell Castle, Northern Heritage Museum.’

He started reading, the details were scarce and vague but he devoured every word anyway.

‘Lady Arya Stark was the youngest daughter of an old prominent northern family. She was said to be a wild spirit, more interested in swords than dresses. When the time for her to get married came, her father arranged an engagement with Lord Hambry, the heir of a neighbouring region, to create an alliance. However, before the marriage could take place, Lord Hambry was found dead under suspicious circumstances and the young lady disappeared.’

‘The Stark family searched tirelessly for Lady Arya with no results. The political conflicts in the south eventually reached the north, taking the lives of Lord Stark, his wife and two of their sons. The remaining members of the family never stopped looking for their sister until their untimely and mysterious deaths during The Long Night (covered on page 217).’

‘Despite the rumours around the region, Lady Arya’s involvement on the death of Lord Hambry was never proven and her disappearance is still a mystery lost in time. Her home, Winterfell Castle, is now one of the most visited museums in Westeros.’

Gendry looked at the picture again and stood up to approach the girl. He compared the picture with the castle on her background. The trees covered the bottom part of the structure, but the top and the towers matched. Gendry considered there was a good chance the painting had been made in the north.

As for the identity of the girl, Gendry didn’t want to make any assumptions. He guessed the painting could have been made before her disappearance, it would make sense, but the text didn’t mention it so he couldn’t be sure.

“This looks a lot like your castle.” He turned around the page to show the picture to the girl. “Is it?” He looked at her for a second like waiting for an answer. “It also comes with a sad story. Maybe it was someone you knew, maybe it is you.”

Gendry read the text for her, then stared at her eyes. “So, is this you? Is this even accurate?” He sighed, not managing to stop the frustration. “I wish you could answer me.”

-/-/-

_Arya was shocked, that was the first time she heard something about her family after the warlock got her. She always assumed her family thought she was dead, but hearing Gendry say they never stopped looking for her was like a knife to her heart._

_That had been the only time Arya was glad Gendry couldn’t hear her or see her. All the feelings, all the regrets, all the fears she had been trying to heal and leave behind for so many years came back at once. Arya mourned for her parents and her siblings, for the life she never had, she regretted never being able to see Nymeria one last time. She cried until she had no more tears._

_By the time it was day outside, Arya was staring blankly at the window, waiting for Gendry to come out of his room, just to see his eyes and be able to feel something good again._

-/-/-

“Remember I told you about my dream in a cave?” Gendry told the girl while he looked through the window three nights later.

_“Yes, I remember.” Arya smiled when Gendry turned his eyes to see her, as if he had heard her._

“I think I’m about to reach the entrance, maybe today or tomorrow.”

_“Really? I wonder what you will see.”_

“I hope it’s nothing disappointing, like don’t see anything or start again.”

_“Me too, I hope you see something good.”_

“Anyway, I should go to bed. Good night.”

_“Good night.”_

_Arya saw Gendry turn off the lights and walk to his room. She did hope he wasn’t disappointed with whatever he encountered in his dream. Not like Arya was when Gendry told her he could already see the entrance of the cave and he was getting closer._

_She checked the entrance of her own cave while Gendry slept for several nights after that, siting in front of it for hours, but he wasn’t in there. Arya ended up not even trying anymore, if only to not feel the emptiness creeping up her heart._

-/-/-

A couple of nights later, Gendry was just a few steps away from the entrance. He didn’t know he could feel excited in a dream but he was, he was about to find out what was in the other side. “I hope I get a good story for the girl tomorrow.” Then Gendry smiled, thinking how funny it was that he wanted a good story to tell to a painting.

Gendry moved closer and froze for a moment; he had just crossed a barrier. It felt like a light wave of energy running through all of his body at once and only for a second. Then he felt the air, fresh air, and the cold suddenly increasing, making him shiver. Gendry also perceived the smell of trees and vegetation, as well as the light of what he believed to be the moon outside.

He took the last steps separating him from the edge, thinking he would be able to reach his goal. What he found was another barrier, only this one didn’t allow him to cross. Gendry touched it; it was completely clear and felt like a wall made of water.

Gendry tried to push it and it bounced back, shaking the area surrounding his hand for a moment and emitting a deep sound wave that echoed all around him. Gendry tried again with both hands, the result was the same, except this time the sound wave was deeper.

-/-/-

_Arya was looking at the city lights outside the window, playing a game of her own invention that she called ‘How many lights I can count before losing count of how many lights I’m counting.’_

_She had just reached 190 when she heard a noise she barely remembered. Arya turned her head to look behind her and searched for something out of place, then she heard the noise again, louder this time._

_Arya stood up and slowly started moving, trying to find the source of the sound. After five steps she reached the entrance of the cave and what she saw shocked her beyond words. Gendry was inside, with his hands in front of him and the same shocked look on his face she felt on her own. A couple of seconds later he disappeared without a trace, as if he had never been there._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading!
> 
> Please, let me know what you think.


	2. The Journey

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arya tells Gendry her story and he starts searching for a way to help her.

“No!” Gendry woke up startled and disoriented. It took him a few seconds to recognise his own room and remember where he was. He jumped out of bed and rushed to the living room, almost crashing against the wall holding the painting.

“It was you, you were there. I didn’t imagine you, right? I’m not crazy; tell me I’m not crazy.” Gendry put his forehead against the canvas and closed his eyes.

_“You didn’t imagine it, it was me!” Arya raised her hand and pretended she was stroking his hair._

“I wanted to find you there so badly, but I didn’t dare to think it was possible.” Gendry was whispering now, but he was so close to the painting, Arya could hear him without any problem.

_“Me neither, but it looks like it is.”_

Gendry raised his head and looked directly to Arya. “I will try to go back tonight. But if I can’t, I hope I see you tomorrow.”

_“You will, I’ll be right there.”_

_Arya watched him slowly going back to his room. Gendry had complained a few times he couldn’t get faster to the entrance because he was never able to go back twice in a single night, so Arya didn’t think she would see him._

_However, that didn’t stop her from walking back to the cave to sit outside, thinking about that brief moment and wondering why she didn’t see him before. She was already excited for the following night._

-/-/-

As he feared, Gendry was not able to go back that night, he couldn’t even sleep well. After hours of just moving from side to side, Gendry decided it was enough and got out of bed to prepare himself some coffee and get ready for an early morning.

Having a normal day after that was a torture. Gendry was distracted and irritable; he felt as if every hour lasted a week and couldn’t even draw a line that was worth for something. By the end of the day he was actively trying to avoid everyone, including his boss, and only wanted to go away.

When he finally made it out of the office, Gendry was so tense he forced himself to go to the gym. Not only to relax but also to make sure he was tired enough to fall asleep fast and more important, to burn some time.

After the gym, Gendry went to a restaurant he liked two blocks away to get dinner and actually ate there instead of taking the food back to his flat. Then he walked back home under a starry night sky. By the time Gendry arrived, it was getting late and he was tired.

Gendry approached the painting and carefully touched the surface with his fingers, looking straight to Arya. “Please be there.” Then he turned to go get ready for bed.

It was already uncomfortable sleeping with the few items of clothing he wore to go through the cave, but Gendry added a jumper and sweatpants anyway. He didn’t want the cold to distract him from the girl. Once he was ready, he throw himself on the bed, not even bothering on moving the blankets. 5 minutes later, Gendry was already asleep.

-/-/-

Gendry looked for the girl since he was approaching but didn’t see her. He kept walking, trying not to feel disappointed until he reached the point where the first barrier was. Gendry took a deep breath and stepped forward.

The air, cold and smell of trees were immediately all around Gendry but he barely noticed. The girl had materialised standing right in front of him and all his attention was on her. She smiled as soon as Gendry entered the area between barriers but didn’t move, so Gendry got closer and said the first thing that came to his mind.

“Hi.”

_“Hi!”_

“It is really you! Because you’re real, right?” Gendry was thinking a hundred things at the same time; he hoped his words made sense.

_“I am very real, you are not crazy.”_

Gendry pressed his lips together and looked down for a moment, felling a bit embarrassed. “So you can hear what I say out there.”

_“I can hear you and see you.”_

“You see me? How?”

_“It’s like…” Arya stopped for a moment to think. “I used to call it a window, but when I learnt what a TV is I started calling it a screen, only mine is big and it’s always on.”_

“Wow.”

_“I always answer you and I pretend we are having an actual conversation, I hope that doesn’t sound too intrusive.”_

“Well, no. I am usually talking to you anyway.”

_“I know, I feel less alone since I’m on your wall.”_

Her voice sounded clear but muted, like under water. ‘The barrier is probably affecting it,’ Gendry thought. He tried to get closer but the barrier stopped him. He sighed and moved back again, just a little bit.

“You are alone here then.” Gendry couldn’t hide the shock but Arya just nodded. “Why? What happened to you?”

_“A warlock tricked me and trapped me here a long time ago.”_

“So, that means you can’t leave the forest?”

_“I can’t leave the area in front of my screen.” Arya touched the barrier between them, making it emit the deep sound again and kept talking. “This thing is all around it and I can’t cross it. I’ve tried everything.”_

Gendry could see the sadness invading her eyes so he changed the subject immediately. “What’s your name?” He had been wondering that since he found the painting.

_“Arya.”_

She smiled again and Gendry’s heart melted at once. “Arya? Like the lady on the story I read to you?”

_“Oh, don’t call me that, I always hated that title. But yes, it’s me. Arya Stark.”_

“I’m Gendry Waters.”

_“Nice to meet you, Gendry Waters.”_

Her smiled made him want to caress her face, but Gendry couldn’t even touch her. He was about to ask her something else when the curtain of darkness fell and Gendry woke up on his bed.

Gendry felt a sting of frustration when he opened his eyes, he wanted to keep talking with Arya but at least now he knew she was real and had an actual name instead of ‘the girl.’ Gendry got up and walked to the living room, standing in front of the painting.

“It was really nice meeting you, Arya. We’ll keep talking tomorrow, good night.”

Gendry went back to his room, took his clothes off and got under the covers. He fell asleep again not long after that, thinking that he had to start hurrying through the cave so he could have more time with Arya.

-/-/-

_Arya sighed when Gendry disappeared and was so touched when she saw him come to tell her ‘Good night.’ She kept telling herself she had to be careful and not let her feelings lead the way. But now she could actually speak with Gendry, Arya didn’t know if she was going to achieve that._

-/-/-

“Can I ask how this happened? The story says you disappeared suddenly but doesn’t mention any painting.” Gendry really wanted to know how Arya ended up trapped inside a painting, but was prepared to not ask again if she refused to tell him.

_“I didn’t kill Lord Hambry if that’s what you are asking.” Arya noticed the defensive tone on her voice too late and bit her lip to repress it._

“I don’t think you killed him, but I would like to hear your story.” Gendry paused, hoping he wasn’t going too far. “Only if you are comfortable telling me, of course.”

_Arya considered it. She felt ashamed of what had happened, but at the same time, she needed to say it, even after so many years. Arya looked at Gendry for a moment, took a deep breath and started talking._

_“Some of what you read is true. I was a rebellious child, always preferring to practice with my bow or my sword around my brothers.”_

“Sword?” Gendry didn’t want to interrupt Arya, but couldn’t help it.

_“Yeah.” Arya lifted her cloak, there was a thin sword hanging from her hip. It was smaller than the ones you see on medieval movies, perfect for Arya’s size. “One of my brothers gave it to me.”_

Gendry nodded and invited her to continue. “So, then what happened?”

_Arya paused to organise her thoughts before continuing. “It was no secret there were constant conflicts in the south and my father was preparing to face them once the north had to get involved. One way to make alliances was through marriage. My sister married that way, same as my older brother. But when my father told me it was my turn, I wasn’t ready for it.”_

Gendry looked down in disbelief. He knew those things were common at the time, but hearing it was distressing.

_Arya kept talking. “When Lord Hambry and his uncle arrived I was devastated. He was meant to inherit his family castle and lands so he was a good ally to have, but he was… traditional. I didn’t think he would be happy with me running around with a sword or getting my clothes dirty.”_

Gendry was starting to understand where this was going but didn’t want to interrupt her again so he just nodded.

_“A few days later, an old man arrived to the winter town selling handmade toys. At the time I believed his arrival was random, but I don’t think it was.”_

_Arya sighed, thinking about it. “He was such a sweet man; I just started talking with him. He noticed how sad I was and asked me. I told him what was happening and how I didn’t want to run away because that would get my family into trouble._

_She smirked while shaking her head, even thinking about it was frustrating. “Then he asked me what I wished and I told him I wanted to not have to marry Lord Hambry, but using the word ‘wish.’ He replied with ‘Your wish will be heard’ and he left. I didn’t think about the conversation again until two days later, when Lord Hambry was found dead on his bed. No wounds, no marks, no signs of poisoning, just dead.”_

“Damn!” Gendry exclaimed. He knew whatever happened had been bad but what he was hearing was horrible.

_“Lord Hambry’s uncle immediately raised suspicions against me and of course my father protected me but the damage was already done, the alliance with the Hambrys was lost. Then…” Arya stopped, frowning and shaking her head again. “This is ridiculous.”_

“Just say it.” Gendry put his hand against the barrier. If he had been able to, he would have hugged her at that moment.

_She gave him a weak smile and continued. “The rumour spread, some of the lords refused to go to Winterfell because I could be dangerous and they feared for their lives. I bet those stupid men believed I could killed them just by looking at them.”_

_Arya raised her gaze to see Gendry; he was looking at her with kind eyes, with no trace of doubt or mistrust on them, so she felt confident enough to finish her story._

_“My father decided to send me to the Vale, where my aunt Lysa lived since her husband died two years before. At least until he managed to find a better solution.”_

Arya stopped again; she looked like she was lost in her memories. “OK,” Gendry said, only to get her attention back.

_She came back from where she was and focused on Gendry again. “Jory, the captain of the guards at Winterfell and other two men were escorting me there when the warlock appeared again. His face was the same, but he was younger and his eyes were bright yellow. He also wore a weird pendant that looked like it was made of Valyrian steel; I remember it because of that.”_

_Arya took a deep breath, gathering her strength to tell the next part. “He took down my father’s men without even moving from where he was standing and went for me. I fought but I couldn’t even touch him. Then some people approached, just merchants on their way to the town, but he got distracted and I ran to the woods.”_

_She gulped before saying the last bit. “I knew I wouldn’t be able to go back all the way to the castle so I went to the rocks, where this cave was, foolishly thinking I could hide in one of the cracks or holes around it, but he found me. He said I had to pay the price for my wish or someone on my family would, so I stopped fighting. I thought he was going to kill me but he trapped me here instead and took me. That was the last day I saw my family and my home.”_

Gendry waited until Arya was done to react. Of course he was shocked but most of all, he was sad. Arya had been punished for something she didn’t even intend to do and had been paying that price for centuries.

“I’m so sorry you had to go through something like that. If I could take it back I would.”

_“Don’t worry, sometimes bad things happen. It took me a while to accept it, but it’s the truth.”_

-/-/-

_Arya felt somehow relieved after her conversation with Gendry. Saying all those things helped her in a weird way. She didn’t understand exactly what that meant but at least she didn’t have to be careful about the topic around Gendry anymore. She spent the rest of the night feeling calm._

-/-/-

Gendry hated seeing Arya sad so he left the topic alone for a while. They talked every night, Arya told him about her siblings, her parents, Nymeria and Winterfell, but sometimes she made comments about other places.

However, Arya preferred to talk about Gendry’s life and he shared it without hesitation. She was surprised when he told her that despite having a different last name, his father had been a Baratheon and she blinked confused when Gendry said his name was Robert.

In the end, Arya concluded that if the Targaryens could have 300 Aegons and her own family could have 300 Brandons, then it was very likely the Baratheons used the same names over and over again. Gendry openly laughed at that, falling even more in love with this gorgeous girl.

They also talked about Shireen and how happy she was when she found out she had a cousin just five years ago. Also, how when Robert died and left Gendry some money, Stannis had accused Gendry of taking a part of his daughter’s inheritance. But Shireen refused to listen to a single word of that and was always supportive of Gendry, which made Arya want to be friends with Shireen.

The one thing Gendry kept private was the fact that he had started looking for information about the painting or the warlock, hoping to surprise Arya with a way to get her out. He went to the libraries of the city during his free days and spent his breaks on his laptop, looking at strange and sometimes creepy websites, but never found anything useful. After a couple of weeks he realised he needed more details and decided to ask Arya despite knowing it was a difficult topic.

-/-/-

“What happened after the warlock took you?” Gendry asked, hoping Arya didn’t avoid the question.

Arya looked away and breathed out so Gendry spoke again.

“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.”

_Arya finally answered after that. “It’s fine, I already told you the difficult part. It’s just that… I don’t think the rest is that interesting.”_

“Tell me anyway.”

_After another pause to remember the details, Arya prepared to tell Gendry the second part of her journey._

_“He took me to his cabin and kept me there for years, along with a bunch of stuff. Most were paintings but there were other things. He sometimes disappeared for weeks and came back with another object. One time, he had been gone for like a month already when someone else with the same yellow eyes came in. I’m pretty sure he took out everything that had magic on it, then burned the place down.”_

“And the other warlock?”

_“I don’t know, never saw him again.”_

“OK.” Gendry nodded so Arya could continue.

_“The other man put me inside a box and I was taken to a ship, I could hear the water outside. Judging by the time I spent there I assume we went to Essos. He took me to a place where someone placed me on a wall with other paintings.”_

“What kind of place?”

_“I think it was the entrance to some kind of temple or place for reunion because people came in and out of the room in front of me regularly. Men and women from different regions but always with yellow eyes. Also, they never talked in front of me, I guess they knew what I am and didn’t want to be heard. What is weird is that, by the time I was moved again, the amount of people coming had decreased to a point where I hardly saw anyone other than the person taking care of the place.”_

“Do you remember something else about the place?” Gendry was decided to gather as many details as possible.

_“The symbol the warlock wore around his neck was burnt on the wall above the door.”_

“What kind of symbol was that?”

_“It is difficult to describe, it looked like a triangle with scratches inside. Sometimes they looked like fire, sometimes like branches, or wind or waves. And sometimes, when the light hit it the right way, the whole thing looked like it was made of blood.”_

Gendry nodded again, memorising Arya’s words.

_“After nine or ten years, one of their own people took me, well… stole me and sold me to a couple. They took me back to Westeros and delivered me to a rich man on the Riverlands. He put me in a big room full of things displayed on glass cases or pedestals and even hanging from the ceiling. Once, he took a woman there to show her his treasures.”_

_Gendry’s expression made Arya smile despite what she was saying._

_“I’m just repeating his words.”_

Gendry shook his head and returned the smile. “Do you remember their names?”

_“Nop, his servants always called him ‘Sir’ or ‘My Lord’ and he called the woman ‘my old friend,’ that’s all._

“I see.” Gendry was disappointed he didn’t get any names to investigate.

_“Turns out my suspicions were correct; the man was a collector of objects containing dark magic and curses. That’s why he bought me.”_

Gendry was close to say something about that but stopped himself. He wanted to keep listening.

_“Anyway, I was there for decades, I watched the man’s hair turning grey. One night, despite being on the second floor, I heard angry voices outside and people trying to knock down the door. One of the servants hurried inside the room to take me, a box and a creepy looking doll. He escaped, but before getting lost between the trees, I could see fire on the house.”_

“Do you think the owner died?”

_“I guess so, not that I had any way to know.”_

“Then what happened?”

_“The servant hid me for a few days and then we started travelling. I think he had instructions because he had money, a good horse and knew exactly where to go. I was in a bag so I didn’t see where he was heading, but after a few days he delivered the doll to someone that sounded like a young woman. Then we moved for probably two weeks to deliver the box to a man that sounded old.”_

Gendry was trying to absorb Arya’s story but the lack of details was frustrating.

_“After that it was just me, we kept travelling until we arrived to a house where a woman received me. She was older and her hair was completely grey but she was the same woman visiting the big room years before, I’m sure of it.”_

“Was she a collector as well?”

_“No, I think she just wanted to save something from her friend’s collection. She took me to her basement, covered me with fabric and put me behind a wall. At least I think that’s what it was, because I heard someone stacking bricks very close to me.”_

“Behind a wall?” Gendry shook his head, trying to control his emotions. “Tell me someone took you out fast.”

_“Actually, that was the longest I’ve been in the dark, I completely lost track of time.”_

“Were you awake all the time? I’m sorry, I never thought of asking that.”

_“It’s OK and no, I can… well, it’s like a slumber. It is not deep, I can wake up immediately if I need to, but it helps with time, makes it feel… not as long.”_

Gendry closed his eyes and took a deep breath. If not because they had that stupid barrier between them, he would already be holding Arya to make her forget everything she had been through.

_“Well, after who knows how long, a man broke the wall and found me. I don’t think it was on purpose because he looked surprised. The first think I noticed after adjusting to my first electric light was that his aspect was different from what I knew. Clothes, hair, shoes, everything was modern.”_

“Did he keep you?”

_“No, he sold me to an antique shop. I was there for maybe three or four years, just hanging in the back. It was boring but at least I was out, that’s where I found out I was in King’s Landing.”_

“King’s Landing, OK.”

_“One day a woman came to the shop and bought me as a souvenir of the city. Her son put me on the back sit of his car to drive us to the Stormlands and I remember being so confused. I was usually covered when someone moved me and then I was uncovered, inside a car, travelling through modern streets. That trip was the weirdest thing of my life because I was terrified, but at the same time everything looked interesting and fascinating.”_

Arya smiled remembering the trip and that made Gendry relax a little bit.

“That woman, was she the grandma of the man in the flea market where I found you?”

_“Yes, he was just a little kid at that moment but it was him.”_

“Then that’s how you arrived to the Stormlands.”

_“Yeah, those were good years. The woman, Susan, was her name; put me on the wall right in front of the TV. She liked… romantic comedies.”_

Arya moved her head to one side while she remembered the term, making Gendry smiled like a child.

_“She saw a lot of those and some were silly but some were good. When her son came to visit with his family, the kids watched action and superhero movies, I like those. And I know movies are not real but I learnt so much from them. Phones, computers, cameras, cars, planes, clothes, new words, I discovered the modern world during those years.”_

“How long?”

_“Twelve years I think it was, then she got sick and her son took her away. She never came back. A few weeks later, her family came and packed everything, I was taken to a storage room with some of her furniture and other things. I was there for a few years, alone again. When the woman’s grandson came I was hoping he would take me to wherever he lived and he did, but only to take me to the market where you found me.”_

“I’m glad I did.”

_“Me too, I like being here… and your company.”_

“Speaking with you is the best part.”

-/-/-

Gendry kept looking; he went back to the libraries and tried new searches on his computer. However, after a couple of weeks, the only thing he could find was a story about a man called Lord Devore, who had been burned in his own house after being accused of harvesting dark magic. According to the article, he was a known art collector and all the pieces in his possession were destroyed on that fire.

That sounded a lot like what Arya described, and it happened in the Riverlands so Gendry tried to find more details. Unfortunately, apart from his ‘tragic’ death, Lord Devore was seen as a respectable member of society and Gendry couldn’t find anything linking him to any kind of magic.

Gendry even found a website listing descriptions of all the pieces allegedly lost in the fire but Arya’s painting wasn’t there.

He thought of telling Arya, but with what purpose? Gendry imagined saying something like ‘Hey Arya, I found the name of the man that owned your painting for decades’ and almost laughs at how ridiculous it sounded. He needed to find something they could actually use.

Sadly, the rest of the story Arya shared had been a handful of dead ends and Gendry had to admit he needed some help. He knew Shireen would do it and the library in her very fancy private university was the only resource he was missing because only students and teachers could use it, but Gendry didn’t know how to explain the situation without sounding crazy.

-/-/-

That weekend he decided to pause his hunt and try an experiment. He asked Arya if she wanted to watch a movie with him. The puzzled expression on Arya’s face made Gendry laugh but once he explained the plan she accepted with a huge smile.

The method was very simple. They would agree on a movie during the night. The following day, Gendry would place the painting on the sofa, facing the TV, and sit next to it. He would stream the movie and they could talk about it that night.

They watched ‘Rogue One’ and Gendry hoped Arya liked it. After the credits, Gendry approached the wall to put Arya’s painting on its place, but while he was making sure it hung firmly, the sun hit the canvas and he noticed something odd.

In the corner to her left, almost at the base of the cave, Gendry could see what looked like a stain. He scratched it a bit, being careful not to damage the surface, but it didn’t seem to disappear. Gendry stared at it for a moment but remembered he had to go get some groceries and just made a mental note to look at the stain with more care later. He said ‘Bye’ to Arya and left the flat.

-/-/-

That night Arya asked Gendry what was so interesting on the corner of the painting. Gendry told her but Arya didn’t know what it meant so Gendry changed the subject.

They spoke about the movie until Gendry woke up. Arya enjoyed the movie, which pleased Gendry, and despite having to wait a few hours to be able to speak about it, both considered the experiment had been a success.

-/-/-

Gendry came back from work four days later and went straight to Arya to say ‘Hello’ before cooking his dinner. That’s when he saw it, the stain he saw last weekend looked more defined now and it wasn’t a stain at all.

The mark in front of him was actually a symbol, the one Arya had described as the symbol of the warlock and his people. Gendry knew it at once because he had been searching something resembling that description for weeks without finding anything.

Gendry took a picture with his phone but it was too dark so he turned the living room light on. He took another picture and this time the symbol blended with the background. Gendry stared at it for a few seconds, then turned around to go take the lamp on his room to focus some direct light on the symbol and try his camera again.

He came back just as the sun was setting. The light hit the canvas and the symbol became more visible. Gendry only had time to leave his lamp on the floor and step closer to take the picture. Then the sun moved and the symbol was dark again.

Gendry looked at his phone and opened his eyes wide, surprised by what he saw. The picture showed a clear image of the symbol, but it looked like it was entirely made of fresh blood. Gendry gulped, thinking he had never seen the sunlight creating that visual effect on anything.

He zoomed in the picture and turned the phone so Arya could see the image. “Arya, look at this. Is this the warlock’s symbol?” Gendry held the phone in front of the painting for a few more seconds before lowering it. “We’ll talk tonight.”

-/-/-

_“I don’t understand, what is it doing there?” Even after hours of seeing the symbol, Arya still looked nervous._

“I don’t know, but a few days ago it was a stain and now it looks like this. Well… it doesn’t look like blood but it’s there.”

_“Damn it, I hope it’s not something bad. I don’t want to lose this.”_

“You will not, we will not.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was the sad part of the story. The next one brings some revelations.
> 
> As always, thank you so much for reading! Let me know what you think, please!


	3. Oldtown

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arya has trouble believing she can be saved and Gendry goes in a work trip, finding help when least expected.

The next day, Gendry sat during his lunch break ignoring his food. He kept staring at the picture, wondering where it came from. Gendry was pretty sure he never saw the symbol anywhere while he was researching but he was already preparing to start looking again. However, this time he didn’t want to miss anything so he closed the picture and called Shireen.

Gendry sent her the picture and explained the symbol had appeared gradually. He didn’t know what it meant but he had some references that pointed towards old dark magic. Shireen agreed to search her library and call him back.

-/-/-

A week went by, Gendry was impatient to hear some news from Shireen but since she always had homework to do, he didn’t want to pressure her. He had finish researching online and was getting ready to spend his Saturday on a library tour when he heard someone knocking at the door. “Shit!” Gendry whispered, if it was Shireen she would ruin the potential for any kind of surprise. He took a deep breath and went to open the door.

“Aha! I caught you before leaving!” Shireen exclaimed when she saw Gendry was already wearing a jacket.

“Yes, walk with me.” Gendry tried to direct her to the opposite direction.

“No way, I want to see that symbol myself.” And she proceeded to go to the living room. Gendry couldn’t do anything to stop her.

“Wow!” Was all Shireen said.

By then the symbol looked more intense, it was no longer necessary to use the sun or any other additional source of light to see it clearly.

Gendry looked at the painting and back to Shireen. “Well, you saw it. I was on my way to get a coffee, I’ll get you one.”

Shireen sighed. “Tempting but no, Loras is expecting me in half an hour for his French lesson.”

“Right, how is that going?” Gendry knew how much Shireen liked teaching.

“He is a decent learner, actually.”

“Good.” Gendry tried to move but Shireen kept talking.

“Aaaanyway, I just wanted to see that thing myself and tell you I didn’t actually find anything. The only place I can think of is Oldtown and even that I doubt. For what I know, the maesters have all the juicy stuff hidden in their private library. So, unless you have more details, that’s all.”

“I don’t have more details, but I appreciate the help, for real.”

“Sure, I’m sorry I couldn’t do more.”

“Don’t be, I’ll figure it out.”

“Well, call me if something else happens, this made my week interesting.”

“I will.”

Shireen left and Gendry turned his eyes to the painting. He said ‘Bye’ to Arya and left as well, wondering what she was going to say that night.

-/-/-

_“Why did you ask Shireen to look for the symbol?”_

“Because I’m worried about what it means and….” Gendry hesitated.

_“And?”_

Gendry looked at Arya and decided to tell her. “Because I’ve been searching myself, for the symbol and for a way to get you out.”

_Arya lowered her head and closed her eyes. She stayed like that for a few seconds and when she finally looked at Gendry and answered, both her eyes and voice were sad._

_“Don’t do that, Gendry.”_

“Why not? Don’t you want to get out?” That was not the reaction Gendry was expecting.

_“Of course I would like to get out; it would be the most amazing thing in the whole universe. But I don’t think it is possible and I can’t afford to hope for something that is not going to happen.”_

“How do you know that? I didn’t think it was possible to find you outside the cave and here you are. I could find something tomorrow or next week!” Gendry’s voice came out loud and angry. It was not what he had intended but his frustration took the best of him.

_Arya replied in a louder tone as well, but she still sounded sad. “I know because I saw all those warlocks and witches disappear centuries ago with my own eyes, their magic was fading even back then, it must be gone by now! You haven’t found anything, you said it yourself, and Shireen couldn’t find anything neither.”_

“Well, I can’t accept that.”

_“What are you going to do then? Grow old alone; looking for something is no longer there instead of living your life?”_

“Yes!”

_“Why?”_

“Because I love you!” Gendry hesitated for a second and kept talking. “I’m not giving up on you, and if it takes the rest of my life to find a way to get you out, then that’s what I’m going to do. I’m NOT giving up on you.”

_Arya looked down, unable to hold the tears; she cleaned her eyes but stayed quiet._

They remained silent for a couple of minutes, not even looking at each other, until Gendry broke the silence with a much more modulated and calmed voice.

“I need to do it; otherwise I wouldn’t be able to live with myself.” Gendry looked at Arya, not sure of how she was going to react.

_Arya didn’t look back at Gendry, she only sighed before speaking and when she did; her voice was calm as well. “I know. I just don’t want to hear it or know anything about it… unless you actually find something concrete. I don’t think I can take constantly hearing bad news or no news.”_

“OK, I can work with that.” Gendry was relieved beyond words Arya had agreed in a way, but there was one last detail. “The other thing I said, I…”

_“I love you too.” Arya waited until that moment to look back to Gendry. “I really shouldn’t say it but I do, and you doing all of this means way more than what I’m letting out. I want you to know that.”_

-/-/-

The following morning, Gendry still had a weird sensation on his stomach. Their last conversation had left him with mixed feelings and he hadn’t been able to stop thinking about it. In one side, Gendry had snapped and told Arya he loved her. Even better, she said it back, which made him feel like the happiest man alive.

In the other side, the sadness and frustration he felt after realising Arya had lost hope were crushing him. The worst thing is that there was a chance she could be right. If all of those yellow eyed warlocks and witches died without passing on their methods and knowledge, their secrets might in fact be lost.

Gendry closed his eyes and sighed. He couldn’t allow himself to be defeated now; he had to keep going no matter what.

He had exhausted his resources in the city and if he wanted to accomplish something it was time to start moving. Gendry opened his calendar to look at his commitments. He had to deliver a project in two weeks and had to make a presentation in three weeks.

If the client didn’t ask for more modifications, he could work extra time and finish the project with a few days to spare, which would give him some free days to travel to Oldtown and still have time to prepare the presentation. He decided to speak with his boss once he was back from his business trip.

-/-/-

Three days later, Gendry was impatient to have a couple of minutes with his boss, but after being absent for a week, he seemed to be busier than ever. Gendry was about to go prepare a fresh cup of coffee when his boss’ assistant walked to him.

“Gendry, Mr Seaworth wants to see you in his office.”

“Thank you, Sue.” Gendry stood up and walked to the office hoping Mr Seaworth wasn’t calling him to tell him the client had asked for more modifications, that would ruin his plans. Gendry reached the door and knocked on it.

“Come in, boy.”

“Sir.”

“Have a sit, I need a quick word.”

Gendry sat down, wondering what Mr Seaworth needed. “Is everything alright, Sir.”

“Yes, as much as it can be after I’m gone for a few days, this place is a circus.” Mr Seaworth moved his arms in front of him to emphasise the mess all over his desk. “Look, I will need you to go do something for me.”

“Go where?”

“I already had scheduled a four days combo of conferences and demonstrations on new materials and their applications. It starts on Monday, but this trip came out of nowhere and I had to go. Now this place is chaos and I can’t possibly leave again so soon, which means you will go in my place.”

“Sir, I have to finish a project soon and there’s the presentation for the new client.”

“Yeah, I know. I can’t do anything about the presentation, the client already confirmed, but I will make sure you have extra time to finish the project. Right now, I need you to prepare to leave on Sunday. I don’t want to lose the spot, we need the update.”

Gendry felt his hopes for a few free days crash, but he couldn’t refuse to go, so he just answered hoping that damn symbol didn’t do anything weird in the meantime.

“OK Sir, where am I going?”

“Oldtown.”

Gendry’s expression obviously betrayed him because Mr Seaworth spoke again.

“What? Are you scared of the maesters, boy?”

Gendry managed to react. “No Sir, it’s fine. I’ll be ready.”

“Good, Sue will make the arrangements and let you know. Now get out of my office, I’m busy.”

“Yes Sir.”

Gendry returned to his desk still in shock. A couple of minutes earlier, he was disappointed because his plans would have to wait, now he was going as part of his job and sooner!

-/-/-

The trip to Oldtown was uneventful, and after checking in and have something to eat, Gendry opened his hotel room wishing it was time to sleep already. He put on some of his ‘clothes to see Arya’ and sat on the bed to watch TV.

After watching a movie and checking again his itinerary for the next day, Gendry finally turned off the TV and got comfortable on the bed. He fell asleep expecting to see his usual starting point in the cave but instead, Gendry woke up in the middle of the night, confused and scared.

He hadn’t seen anything. No cave, no forest, not even the cold he was used to by then. That was the first time since the dreams started Gendry hadn’t been able to see the cave and immediately felt his stomach contracting.

What if the symbol did something while he was away? What if something happened to Arya?

Gendry sat on the bed and took his phone, not knowing exactly what to do. He stared at the screen, considering his options. Mr Seaworth? Shireen? Gendry closed his eyes; it was 2:00 am. The only thing he was going to get if he called now was an angry voice and no reason to justify his urgency without sounding like a mad man.

He lowered his head, still holding the phone on his hand. If he left now, he could lose his job, but he couldn’t just ignore this and keep going with his trip.

It took every bit of willpower Gendry had in his body, but after a while, he managed to leave the phone on the bedside table and lie on the bed again, despite knowing he wasn’t going to be able to sleep anymore.

-/-/-

The next morning Gendry was ready to start the day a bit too early, but the hours he spent looking at the ceiling in the middle of the dark gave him some time to think and he felt less anxious. He was hoping his plan worked or he would be looking for a new job as well as the solution for Arya’s freedom.

Gendry looked at the mirror before leaving the room; he had black circles under his eyes and looked tired. He snorted, took his backpack and closed the door behind him.

He wasn’t hungry, but sat at the restaurant next to the lobby to burn some time. After forcing himself to eat, he considered it was a more appropriate time to make a call.

The phone rang three times before Shireen’s voice made Gendry look away from his coffee.

“What unholy hour is this to call me Gendry Waters?” Shireen asked.

“Sorry, were you asleep?” Gendry hoped not.

“Tsss no, I was getting ready for school. What’s up?”

Gendry took a deep breath before starting the speech he had practiced during the night. “Look, this is going to sound crazy, but… just listen to me, OK?”

“OOOOKKK.” Shireen was confused but Gendry knew she wouldn’t laugh at him.

“I’m travelling for work and last night I had a horrible dream. I arrived home and everything was destroyed. Maybe it was the stove, maybe something from outside, I don’t know. I woke up shaking and I haven’t been able to get rid of the feeling.”

“Agh, that’s horrible.”

“Yeah, it wasn’t my best night.” Gendry breathed out and continued. “Anyway, I was wondering if you could go to my flat and check if everything is OK. I would feel much better if I know for sure. I’ll get you one of those big greasy burritos your father hates and I’ll shelter you while you eat it.”

“Cousin, we have a deal.” Now Shireen sounded satisfied.

Gendry had the feeling that would work. “Great, thank you!”

“No problem, but it will have to wait until this afternoon. I have class until 3:00.”

“That’s perfect. Call me when you’re inside, you know where the spare key is.”

“Sure, I’ll call you later then.”

-/-/-

Turned out the conference was split because the place they booked had another event during the afternoon and they could only use it in the morning. That left Gendry with two mornings of conference, two relatively short days on sites to see the materials being used and four afternoons to go research on the places he considered had possibilities.

-/-/-

The first morning felt like an eternity, but Gendry managed to go through it without any problem. It had been an interesting subject and if he hadn’t been so worried, he would have enjoyed the change of scenery.

Gendry walked to the first library, which was merely a big house with books about the maesters and their history, but nothing useful. He was leaving when his phone rang.

“I’m inside.” Gendry was glad to hear Shireen’s voice.

“Great. Can you check the kitchen?” He tried to sound as casual as possible.

“Checking.” Gendry heard her make some noises while she checked the stove he knew was off. “Nop, it looks good.”

“OK, what about the window in the living room?”

“You live in the fourth floor?”

“Just check it, please?” Gendry was hoping Shireen noticed if something was wrong with the painting, but was prepared to ask if she didn’t.

Silence, then Shireen’s voice again. “No, it’s closed and everything looks fine Gendry, for real.” Gendry was about to speak when he heard Shireen again. “Except wow, this symbol in your painting is mutating. It looks like it is burnt in the canvas and I’m not an expert in old stuff yet but I’m pretty sure that could damage the painting.”

“I know, I’m already looking into it.” Then Gendry dropped the question as if it hadn’t been important. “But the rest looks fine, right? Nothing damaged apart from the corner.”

Gendry heard Shireen’s chuckle. “Your girl looks fine, dork.”

“Good.” He faked an indifferent tone.

“Do you want me to check something else?”

“No, I think that will be enough to shake the nightmare out of my system. Thank you for going.”

“Anytime. Call me when you get back, we have a date with a burrito.”

“Sure thing.”

Gendry hung up, but Shireen stayed there for one more minute, looking at the painting with curious eyes. “Why do I feel like he sent me here to see if you were OK?” Shireen shook her head. “Silly brain.” And she walked to the door, closing it behind her.

_Arya heard Shireen leaving and couldn’t repress a smile. She didn’t know why they weren’t able to communicate last night but Gendry did send his cousin to check on her. Arya felt a little bit better because of that._

-/-/-

Gendry also felt better after making sure Arya was OK. He still felt a hole in his stomach the next morning after waking up without seeing the cave, but his day was more relaxed. After the second part of the conference Gendry went to the Citadel, where he was told he didn’t have the proper authorization to consult their library and they couldn’t possibly make an exception. Gendry was not surprised at all; he wasn’t expecting anything useful from the maesters.

The following day, he was taken to a site outside the city to see how a couple of the materials were integrated in the structure of the building in construction and see some tests. Gendry returned a bit after four so he still had time to go to the last place he had planned. It took him an entire half an hour to realise he wasn’t going to find anything there and left feeling disappointed.

Gendry decided to walk back to his hotel, thinking he would have to plan a trip to Essos and soon. Mr Seaworth was not going to like it but at this point he didn’t care. Gendry was trying to figure out how fast he could arrange the trip when he saw something with the corner of his eye that made him turn his head.

Behind a window, engraved on top of a little box placed partially in the shadows, was the mysterious symbol Gendry hadn’t been able to find back at home or here. He stopped so suddenly a man walking behind him threw an annoyed “Watch it!” while barely avoiding bumping against Gendry’s back and walking past him, mumbling. Gendry didn’t even notice.

He raised his eyes to see where he was, it was one of those witchy stores that always looked full of secrets. Gendry had never been inside one before, never felt any interest on that sort of things, but seeing the symbol there made him open the door and walk through without thinking.

The fragrance of incense immediately filled his nose, but instead of the strong smell he was dreading, the scent was soft and relaxing. Gendry looked around at the mixture of things surrounding him. Some were common things like candles of different colours and a variety of incenses in boxes, envelopes or packages. Some were things he didn’t recognise, herbs, oils, unknown instruments and books with foreign writing on their spines.

Gendry gave a step towards the box. It was on a little table against the wall by itself, inside a glass case. It was also surrounded by a ring of some sort of powder and the edges of the symbol looked a tiny bit red, even under the limited light. He was about to get closer when a woman with ashy blond hair and light brown eyes came from the back of the store.

“Good afternoon, how can I help you?” Her voice was kind and welcoming; it made Gendry feel like he could at least try to ask without looking like a fool.

“I… I was wondering if you know what that symbol means.” He pointed to the small box.

The expression of the woman changed slightly, it was still kind but Gendry could perceive caution now. “That is… not a common question, may I ask why you want to know?”

Gendry stepped back, already doubting if the woman would help him. “I’m just curious.”

The woman looked at him for a moment before approaching, but Gendry didn’t feel threatened. “Can I see your hand?” She said offering her own hand to take Gendry’s.

“What?” Gendry asked confused.

“Your hand, I might be able to answer your question if I can see your palm.”

Gendry had heard of palm reading before but never occurred to him to have one. He opened his mouth to protest but to his own utter surprise, instead of saying something, he allowed the woman to take his hand.

The woman examined Gendry’s palm, tracing lines with the tip of her fingers. The feeling was itchy, but he didn’t dare to take his hand back to scratch it. Eventually the woman spoke again.

“That’s an interesting palm.”

“What does it say?” Gendry was suddenly eager to know what was hidden in his own hand.

“These intersections here mean your future is linked to the past, but it is not your past. It is something that has been waiting for you for a long time and already made an impact on your life. But it can also change it forever; if that’s the path you choose to seek.”

Gendry could only see lines crossing each other all over his palm but the message the woman was giving him was loud and clear. He didn’t say anything; he only nodded, prompting her to continue.

“Here is where I would say you will have to decide if that’s what you want, but your eyes tell me you already took that decision.” The woman then closed his hand and let it go.

Gendry released the breath he didn’t notice he was holding, pressing his lips together while watching at his own closed hand.

“The symbol you are asking for is the mark of an old extinct coven. Tricksters, witches and warlocks dedicated to create chaos and misfortune. Eventually their magic faded, no one knows why or how exactly but we are all thankful, no matter the faith we follow.”

The woman invited Gendry to sit down at a wooden table on a corner, equipped with a couple of candles and a deck of cards the woman put aside. Gendry sat across from her, still in silence.

“That’s why I want to know your reason. If you came across that symbol, you are facing something dark.” She turned her eyes to the box and Gendry followed her gaze as well. “The symbol was not there before and now it’s more visible every day. I have the box in the store these days because of that, I can watch it closely here.” Then she looked at Gendry to evaluate his expression. “But that’s not news for you, am I right?”

Gendry looked at her, unable to hide his lack of surprise. He considered for a second if he should trust this woman. Gendry felt like he could and he didn’t have other options anyway, so he decided to speak with the truth, or at least as much as he dared to.

“I have this painting; I bought it by impulse a while ago. I remember checking it back then and it didn’t have any marks. A few weeks ago this symbol started appearing in a corner. It was like a shadow at first, but now it looks more or less the same as that one.” Gendry inclined his head in the direction of the box but maintained visual contact with the woman.

“A painting? Do you happen to have an image?”

“Yes.” Gendry then took his phone out and searched for the right image so the woman could see it. It was an updated picture he took right before leaving.

The woman held the phone on her hands for a few seconds, her expression clearly changing to one of surprise and even amazement. “Gods.” She gave the phone back and stood up. “Wait for a moment.”

She hurried to the back of the store and came back carrying an ancient looking book with inscriptions Gendry didn’t understand.

Her hands looked for a specific page. “Those paintings are legends even for us. We have very little information about the coven, but according to this, they used to link their victims to objects. It could be anything really, but they often chose art, just to twist something beautiful into something cruel.”

She looked at the pages for a moment and continued. “Most of their creations were destroyed sooner or later, but a few of them survived. That box is one.” The woman pointed on its direction, then turned her eyes at Gendry’s phone. “Your painting is the second object I’ve ever seen. That symbol is not only their mark; it is also a seal to keep something inside and I dare to think that something is this girl, whoever she is.”

“Is?” Gendry reacted. “That does mean she is still alive, right? She is not an echo or anything like that.” That was the first time he voiced that fear.

“Well,” the woman considered. “If she never died, she is still there.”

“Can I, I mean, can the seal be broken? Can she be saved?”

“In theory, yes.”

“How?” Gendry exclaimed with an eager voice.

“I don’t know. There’s no record of any successful attempt to break a seal before. The few texts available agree blood is a necessary element, but there’s something missing. Some think it is a long lost spell; some believe it is something more ethereal. Intent, desire, connection, something more personal between the caster and the object.”

Gendry’s mind was spinning, if there was a chance of saving Arya, he had to find out how.

“That’s all? Is there something else you can tell me? Please.” Gendry had been trying to contain his emotions until that point but couldn’t do it anymore.

The woman looked at him with understanding eyes and took a minute to read while Gendry waited, felling anxious. She seemed to find something at some point, because she traced a paragraph with the tips of her fingers.

“It says here the walls are thinner during the peak points of certain periods or events. But again, it doesn’t say exactly what, the best guess we have points to possibly eclipses or planet alignments, that sort of thing. If the symbols on my box and your painting are turning more visible, maybe something is approaching. However, nothing like that is happening soon, so I couldn’t tell you exactly what or when.” She looked at Gendry’s confused eyes. “I’m sorry I can’t help you more, that’s all the information I have.”

Gendry was disappointed, but that was way more than he knew before coming inside the store so he managed to produce a kind smile. “Don’t worry, that’s plenty.” He stood up and took out his wallet. “I already took a lot of your time, how much…”

The woman stood up as well and only raised her hand. “No, I’m not taking your money. But if you do it, if you manage to break the seal and save that girl, come visit me again. Bring her and tell me how it happened. I would love to hear it.”

“I will.”

“One last thing.” She turned to take a card from the shelf behind her and wrote something on the back, then she offered it to Gendry. “I’m Lisey, that’s the number of the store and my personal number is in the back. If you need anything else, call me. If I can help you, I will.”

Gendry took the card and slid it inside his wallet. “Thank you Lisey, I’m Gendry Waters.”

He offered his hand, this time to shake hers. “A placer to meet you, Mr Waters.” Lisey shook his hand with a smile.

When Gendry left the store it was already dark. He welcomed the cold breeze, helping him to clear his head and think about what he just heard. Once in his hotel, Gendry ordered something to eat. It was the first night since he arrived he was actually hungry instead of just eating because he knew he had to. Hope had crept up his heart and that also allowed him a good night’s sleep.

-/-/-

The last morning was very similar to the previous one, go to a site, check a different structure and come back. Only this time, the coordinators took the group to a restaurant where they had organised a farewell buffet.

Gendry ate and even made the effort to socialise for a while, but returned to his hotel with plenty of time to pick up his things and go to the airport to wait for his flight. When the plane took off, Gendry was relieved he was finally going home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I never get tired of saying it, thank you so much for reading!
> 
> Just one more to go! What did you think of this one?


	4. The Seal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gendry makes a discovery and receives crucial news while Arya starts allowing some hope into her heart.

“I know you said you only wanted to hear about it if it was something concrete but… well, I found something. It is still missing a couple of details, but I think it’s important.” Gendry looked at Arya, hoping no to cause another fight.

_Arya stared at her hands while Gendry talked and only looked at him after he finished. “Actually, I’ve been thinking and… if you are willing to fight for me, I should fight for myself as well. I just didn’t know how to react after all this time thinking my fate was written in stone. No one ever knew I was in here, let alone someone caring enough to actually want to help me.”_

Gendry breathed out, relieved Arya changed her mind. “Well, you have someone now, and maybe a lead too.” He already had a smile on his face.

_Arya sighed before keep talking. “I finally understand that, what did you find?” She offered a tiny smile, inviting Gendry to continue._

Gendry told Arya everything Lisey said, including the little information she had about the last part. Arya took it extremely well, the only thing she didn’t particularly liked was Gendry planning on making a cut on his hand to provide the blood part, but after discussing it for a couple of minutes, Arya agreed it was necessary to do it. By the time Gendry woke up, they had been speculating about different possibilities and theories for a while.

-/-/-

Gendry started investigating right away, visiting astronomy websites full of new projects to visit and research different planets and findings of the current ones, pictures of distant places, big numbers and complicated names. It didn’t take him long to confirm Lisey was right, the next eclipse wouldn’t be for another two years and the next planet alignment, pfft, not even in this decade.

He didn’t find anything about comets, significant lunar events or even calculations about upcoming solar bursts so it had to be something else. Gendry closed the browser hoping it didn’t turn out to be an earthquake or a tornado because those would be very difficult to predict.

During the following days, Gendry redirected his attention to astrology websites. Some of them contained cryptic concepts and detailed graphics of planets and constellations explaining different attributes. He had the chance to research other celestial events, more focused on energy and the effect of the stars on people. Yet, Gendry didn’t find anything significant or unusual enough to make him consider it an option.

Every day without finding anything made Gendry feel more nervous, especially because the symbol was slowly starting to show a blood red tone, which Shireen of course found incredibly interesting during their burrito date.

She even offered to ask one of her most experienced teachers what kind of chemical could be causing the change, but Gendry refused. He didn’t want strangers asking questions about the painting, he knew those tests couldn’t provide the answer he needed right now.

-/-/-

On the morning of his presentation, Gendry was in the empty meeting room watching the news while the client arrived. He wasn’t that interested on the clips but it was the best way to keep his mind clear these days, so he was paying attention to the ups and downs of the Westerosy stock market.

The segment ended and what followed made Gendry’s heart skip a beat. The news host appeared on the screen greeting Dr Anderson, from the Red Mountains Observatory. The video call showed a woman with curly hair and dark eyes in front of a wall partially covered with pictures of stars and charts.

“Dr Anderson, I believe you have an announcement for us.” The news host smiled and Dr Anderson started talking.

“That’s right. We would like to officially let everyone know that our telescope has recently spotted a previously unknown comet approaching Westeros. We’ve been monitoring it closely and we determined its arrival will be in a little over two weeks. It will be visible to the naked eye over a good portion of the south but the ones with the best view will be the Stormlands going all the way to Oldtown.”

While Dr Anderson talked, her face was briefly replaced with a blurry picture of the blackness of space showing several dots of different sizes and one of them circled on red to mark the comet.

“That’s fantastic Dr! Is there something we should consider in preparation for our stellar visitor?” The host asked with that professional enthusiasm often seen on TV presenters.

“Well, first we want to assure everyone the comet will not hit us or cause any disturbance in our normal lives, so you will be able to enjoy the view without any problem. Second, the comet will reach its closest point to the planet over the Stormlands, but the information of its trajectory, as well as the times and the places where the comet will be visible are already available in our website. Last, we opened a public poll so everyone can vote for a name…”

“Gendry?”

Gendry jumped when he heard Sue’s voice behind him. He turned around trying to not look startled. “Yes, Sue.”

Sue pretended she didn’t notice anything. “Your clients are here.”

“Great, bring them in Sue, please.” Sue nodded and left.

Gendry gulped and looked at the screen again. Dr Anderson was answering another question but Gendry had to turn the TV off before receiving his potential clients.

-/-/-

Despite the shocking news, Gendry managed to give an excellent presentation, scoring a major project and a nice bonus. Gendry waited until a very pleased Mr Seaworth offered to accompany the new clients to the entrance to flee to his cubicle.

He immediately opened his computer to search for the website of the observatory. As Dr Anderson promised, a tab with the comet’s information was already there. Gendry verified the closest point was indeed going to be right over the city and wrote a note with the day and time.

Mr Seaworth chose that moment to approach him and Gendry had to redirect his attention for a minute while his boss congratulated him. Gendry was genuinely satisfied with the success of the presentation and thanked him, but as soon as Mr Seaworth left, Gendry’s full attention returned to his computer.

Gendry checked two more times the information, then took out his wallet to search for the card he had been carrying since his visit to Oldtown and called Lisey.

“Hello?” Lisey’s voice came from the other side of the line.

“Lisey, hi. Gendry Waters calling, I hope you remember me.”

“Mr Waters! I’m so glad you called.”

Gendry went straight to the point. “The comet?”

“Yes, I’m pretty sure that’s it. Comets carry powerful energy.”

Gendry sighed, relieved by Lisey’s answer. “That’s so good to hear.”

“Mr Waters, there’s something else.”

“What?” Gendry asked intrigued.

“I spoke with Rhea about the symbol; she is one of our elders, the oldest one actually. She told me her grandfather used to do research with the box when she was little and remembered hearing a fragment of a conversation while she played outside his office.” Lisey paused for a second and continued. “Apparently, her grandfather believed the seal had to be triggered from both sides to be broken.”

Gendry opened his eyes wide, realising what that meant. However, he didn’t speak to allow Lisey to continue.

“Rhea’s grandfather died abruptly after that, her family moved away and in the chaos, she forgot what she heard so the detail was never registered anywhere. She remembered it because I asked her about the box and the symbol suddenly showing up.”

“So, that’s the key. It has to come from both sides.” Gendry was speaking more to himself than for Lisey.

“Yes, if you somehow manage to find the symbol inside the painting of course.”

Gendry couldn’t help a massive smile and had to lower his head to not attract unwanted attention from co-workers walking by. “Lisey, thank you. You just gave me the piece I was missing.”

“I’m glad I was able to help you, Mr Waters.” Lisey sounded relieved and satisfied. “Good luck.”

-/-/-

Gendry couldn’t wait for the cave. As soon as he got home he rushed to his living room to tell Arya about the news and his conversation with Lisey, then asked Arya to start looking for the seal on her side before going to prepare his dinner.

_Arya started right after Gendry stopped talking; the cave was of course her first option. She didn’t think she would find anything on the inner walls surrounding the barrier, she looked at those every night since Gendry started coming, but she made sure she checked every corner._

_Then Arya walked to the wall facing her screen to the outside. She searched carefully for any detail out of place, paying attention even to the cracks. It took Arya a while but when she reached the bottom of the rocks she saw a red scratch behind the layer of snow._

_Arya cleared the snow with her hand and loudly gasped. The symbol was right there in the base of the cave, not even hidden under a rock or inside a crack. It had been there the whole time, just covered with snow._

_She didn’t want to touch the symbol so she traced the area around it, amazed of how red it looked. Arya couldn’t be sure, but based on Gendry’s comments, it was very likely to match the tone of the symbol outside._

-/-/-

_“I found it.” Arya immediately told Gendry when he appeared that night._

“Where?” Gendry asked, his eyes already shining.

_“On the wall facing the screen, it was just covered with snow but it’s there.”_

There was even enthusiasm on Arya’s voice, which Gendry was pleased to hear. “Fantastic! One step closer.”

_“Now what? The blood part, right? I will have to do it as well.”_

“I’m afraid so. I just don’t like asking you to injure yourself.” Gendry was dreading that part, but according to what Lisey told him, it looked like it had to be done.

_“I don’t mind Gendry, for real. It’s just a cut on my hand, the same you will do. Besides, I need to do my part; it’s going to be worth it.”_

“It is going to be worth it, you’ll see. Once you are out, I want to take you…”

_“No, stop!” Arya interrupted Gendry. “Don’t make plans; I don’t want to jinx this.”_

“Jinx it?” Gendry asked confused.

_Arya took a moment to put in order her ideas. “I think this will work, I really do. But if something goes wrong and I have to stay here, I can’t have all those impossible plans on my head for the rest of my life, it would be too painful. Let’s wait, please.”_

Gendry nodded, understanding Arya’s point. “OK, no outside plans until you are actually out.” Then he smiled to reassure her.

_“Thank you.” Arya returned the smile._

-/-/-

Since Arya couldn’t communicate while Gendry was awake, they made sure both knew exactly what to do and when to ensure there were no mistakes. Unfortunately, after that there was nothing else to do but wait.

The following two weeks passed so slowly it was painful. They watched movies to kill time and have something to talk about instead of the comet. Gendry also read to Arya before going to sleep to have a conversation about it later, which ended up being a great idea.

Once, Arya asked Gendry to show her a picture of the entire painting. She had never seen the outer side and wasn’t impressed when she saw her own image. She thought she looked horrible but Gendry assured her she looked not just beautiful, but gorgeous.

Despite their best effort, the last days were awful. Arya was incredibly anxious and couldn’t stay still for more than a minute. Gendry was so nervous; falling asleep every night took him an eternity, which was not helping Arya’s unease.

To make things worse, despite carefully scheduling all of his free days to surprise Arya and be able to spend time with her after the comet, Gendry found out he was going to have to work on that day. He reminded Mr Seaworth that was the first day of his holidays and he already had plans, but apparently the client had requested his presence on site to make a couple of minor modifications.

In the end, Gendry managed to convince Mr Seaworth to allow him to leave early because he had to be somewhere else at 4:00. In reality it was 4:27 but Gendry didn’t want to take any risks.

Arya didn’t like the news but Gendry swore he would be back on time and since she couldn’t actually do anything about it, Arya just ended up asking Gendry not to be late.

-/-/-

The day of the comet, Gendry got ready early to arrive to the site as soon as possible. Unfortunately, the client was not in a hurry and by the time he arrived, Gendry was already tense. Gendry had to control his temper to not snap at the client and listen to what he wanted with a polite attitude.

Gendry was relieved after realising the requested modifications were not as complex as they could have been. Still, it took a few hours to finish them and make sure they were being implemented in the right way.

Mr Seaworth was supposed to arrive to replace Gendry at 3:00, but by 3:10 he was nowhere to be found and Gendry was getting nervous again. It took Mr Seaworth another 15 minutes to arrive because he got stuck on traffic, which made Gendry feel even more nervous.

At 3:30 Gendry was finally able to leave. He got in the taxi he had ordered almost 20 minutes before, already expecting to pay a fortune for the waiting and the trip on the heavy traffic.

His nervousness mutated into anxiety, then into angst and finally into overwhelming fear as he saw the cars stopping constantly around him.

At 4:03 Gendry couldn’t take it anymore. He gave the driver enough money to cover more than the amount marked on the taximeter and got out of the car.

Gendry ran, not caring about anything apart from getting home on time. He almost tripped when a dog stretched his leash in front of him, bumped into a distracted man around a corner and nearly fell a couple of times.

He reached his building at 4:21, hurried passed the lifts and climbed the stairs in a record time. Gendry opened his door 10 seconds before 4:24 and was finally able to breathe.

-/-/-

_Arya was moving in circles in front of her screen begging for Gendry to arrive and when she heard him opening the door, her knees almost failed her._

_She heard Gendry breathing heavily for a few seconds, then saw him rushing to his room and come out with what she thought was a cutting tool. Arya stared while Gendry approached, still gasping for air, to turn the TV on. She heard the news, they were talking about the comet and Arya was trying to pay attention when Gendry spoke to her._

-/-/-

“Sorry I’m so late, we’re almost there.” Gendry took his phone and opened the alarm he had prepared the previous night to not miss the exact time. “Only 90 seconds, just wait for my signal.”

_“Waiting.”_

“Arya?” He exclaimed surprised.

_“Gendry? Can you hear me?”_

Her voice sounded like out of a dream but it was clear and loud, as if she was right in front of him. “Yes! I think this is actually happening.” He couldn’t help a short giggle. “Are you ready?”

_“Ready.”_

Gendry leaned his phone against the base of the TV to take the blade with his right hand.

“OK, cut!”

Gendry made a cut on his left palm and put the blade on the TV cabinet, next to his phone. He stepped right in front of the symbol while still being able to look at the TV and his phone.

_In the other side, Arya took Needle to cut her right palm and quickly put her sword back on her hip, she didn’t want to lose it. Arya then knelt down to access the symbol easily and called for Gendry._

_“Done!”_

“OK!” Gendry looked from the painting back to the TV and the phone. “Wait, wait, wait…” The last seconds felt like an hour, both of them waited in front of their own symbols, holding their injured hands to not drop any of that crucial blood.

“NOW!” Gendry yelled, and everything around them suddenly lost importance. It was just the two of them mirroring their actions to break the seal from both sides.

Gendry smashed his bleeding palm straight on the symbol. A burning sensation immediately ran all the way up his arm, he could feel the seal sucking the blood out of his hand. Then a sudden shockwave pushed Gendry across the room against the sofa.

He stumbled but managed to quickly recover his balance. When his eyes returned to the painting, the seal was visibly palpitating, irradiating an amber glow that quickly absorbed all the red into its centre, consuming the power the blood held and growing brighter with every beat.

The seal broke in half; Gendry could even hear a snap. The painting started fracturing, cracking from the corner where the seal had been and going in all directions. The amber glow escaping from every crack made it look like a twisted spider web spreading itself all over the surface.

Gendry gave a couple of steps on the direction of the painting but he felt petrified. He couldn’t hear Arya anymore and he wasn’t sure if what they had done was going to free her or just destroy the painting and Arya with it. Gendry didn’t know what he would do if something happened to Arya; he had never been so scared in his whole life.

He was about to give another step when the second shockwave came, completely shattering the painting, making a crack on the glass of the nearby window and throwing Gendry to the floor. He only had time to start siting when Arya’s body fell on him. By instinct, Gendry put his arms around her and pulled her towards the sofa to get her away, surrounding her legs with his to protect her as best as he could with his own body.

The pieces of the painting continued palpitating but the glow started fading, weaker with every beat. It took around a minute for both the glow and the beating to be completely extinguished, leaving only the fragments of a broken painting lying on the floor and a scorched rectangle on the wall.

Once everything was over, Gendry looked down. Arya’s body was curled against him, her face hidden on his chest. Despite the heavy cloak she was wearing, she was incredibly cold and still. Gendry feared the worst and for a moment, his heart sank.

After a few seconds Arya finally moved her head, raising her face a little bit. She was pale and looked like she was fighting not to lose consciousness but she was alive and right there, in his arms.

Then Arya remembered the painting and abruptly turned her frightened gaze to the pieces on the floor. She tried to move to shelter herself even more behind Gendry. He held Arya firmly, trying to make her feel safe.

“It’s fine, it broke and you’re out.” Arya stopped moving but still looked at the fragments in shock. Gendry traced the side of her face with his fingers and kept talking in a reassuring tone. “It over, you’re out. Arya, look at me. You are out.”

That seemed to do the trick. Arya looked at Gendry for a long moment, then lifted her hand to touch his face and the feeling of his skin made everything finally click on Arya’s mind. Gendry could feel her body relaxing against his, which immediately calmed him down as well.

“I’m out.” Arya emitted a nervous giggle. “I’m out, we did it.”

“We did it.” Gendry smiled in such a bright way, the sight of it managed to make Arya’s fear fade. She returned the smile, feeling safe at last.

-/-/-

Once they both recovered from the initial shock, Gendry helped Arya up and took her to the table so she could sit while he took the first aid kit he had left in the kitchen’s counter, anticipating they would need it.

He looked at their palms, the wounds were not bleeding that much but he wanted to clean them anyway. Gendry took Arya’s hand to start, trying to be gentle with her wound.

“Your wound needs attention as well.” Arya pointed out, trying to absorb the feeling of someone else touching her again after so long.

“And you will help me clean it once I’m done with yours.” Gendry’s eyes looked at hers and Arya felt butterflies in her stomach. Gendry was close and the barrier between them was gone, she had to fight to not blush.

“Yeah.” Arya nodded and watched Gendry cleaning her palm for a few seconds before speaking again. “So, what now?”

“The first thing I’m doing after finishing cleaning our wounds is taking the pieces of that paint out to the trash, I don’t want them anywhere near you. Then, I don’t know. What do you want to do?”

Arya took a moment to think about it before speaking. “Well… I think I want to do three things first.”

“Three, eh? That’s pretty specific. What’s the first one?” Gendry replied while taking a bandage to put it around Arya’s hand.

“Mmmm.” Arya hesitated, making Gendry look back at her.

Arya bit her lip but decided to just go for it and kissed Gendry. It didn’t last long but both of them felt the connection at once, the kiss only made it stronger. “Yeah, way better than I thought it would be.” Arya smiled again and this time she couldn’t hide the blush.

The corner of Gendry’s mouth moved up to hint a smile right before kissing Arya again. Gendry’s kiss was longer and deeper, making the butterflies in Arya’s stomach go wild. When he finally broke the kiss, Arya kept her eyes closed for an extra second, savouring the taste of Gendry’s lips.

Gendry waited until her eyes were open again to reply. “Way, way better.” He stayed close for one more moment before pulling back to reassume his work with the bandage. “What’s the second one?” Gendry asked to break the silence.

“Do you have food? I’m starving!”

He openly laughed at that. “Yes, I have food. As much as you want.”

“Good!” Arya exclaimed relieved.

“And the third?” Gendry asked as he finished with Arya’s hand. She immediately started cleaning Gendry’s palm.

“I’d like to change clothes. I don’t even care into what, I just want to take these old things off, throw them away and don’t look at them ever again. It’s been too long.”

“Well, you can use some of my stuff today but we will have to go get a bunch of things on your size. Although, it might be a good idea to ask Shireen to help us with that if you don’t mind, I don’t know anything about women’s clothes.

“I don’t mind, I’d like to meet her.” And it was true, Arya wanted to be Shireen’s friend.

“Also, I think I will need your help to explain her who you are.”

“Of course, I’ll help you. We’ll figure it out.”

“We will.” Gendry nodded. “I’ll call her to see if we can do that tomorrow.”

“Sounds like a plan, our first plan.”

Arya threw the sentence at him in a casual tone, but Gendry understood the importance of Arya saying that, and she enjoyed watching the absolutely gorgeous smile returning to his face.

“The first of many.” That was all the answer he managed to give.

Gendry watched Arya while she carefully placed a bandage around his hand, still not believing he had her right there in front of him and feeling like the luckiest man in the entire world. By the time Arya finished with the bandage, she had allowed her heart to fill with hope, knowing she would finally have the chance to enjoy the life she couldn’t have before, with Gendry.

****

**FIN**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Huge thank you to every single one of you for reading, all the kudos and all the comments, I love you all!
> 
> Please, let me know what you think about the ending!
> 
> You can also find me on [Tumblr](https://incognitostarkbaratheon.tumblr.com/).


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